I don't think Batman would refuse to save people because they became "looters" at some point. I also got the impression that most of those doing the looting where criminals, or very poor people who were being manipulated by Bane. He wants to save Gotham, and that includes every gothamite (Well, maybe not Tatelia).

Selina is a very self interested woman, who was looking after her own neck, and wanted Batman to do the same for himself so that they could run away together. Batman refuses. Up to this point, he is still willing to do everything for Gotham, and is consistent with his desire to protect the city as shown in previous scenes. But later he decides that he actually wants to go away with Catwoman.

I don't think handing Johnny Blake the keys to the Batcave is exactly making sure that someone will "carry the torch forward". Blake is just a cop. A well meaning cop, but he has no training, and is, as shown in the film, dependent on guns to be efficient. It just seems crazy that Bruce is ready to trust this young man (who he barely knows...Apparently all you need to do to convince Batman to hand over the mantle is to deduce the guess his secret identity and to be an enraged orphan) with the burden of being The Batman, or that he would want anyone to have that burden, but he himself can put the burden behind and go away with Catwoman. A Batman Beyond type of scenario would have been adequate. It seems like Nolan found himself in love with this whole "anyone can be Batman", which is, IMO, WRONG and actually goes against what was depicted in the previous movies. "Anyone can be a hero" though, is more fitting.

Anyway, Selina. I just don't think that relationship works. This is a woman who:

- Lied her way into his mansion to stole his fingerprints so that Bane and Tatelia could make Bruce lose his money, leading to Tatelia being put in charge of Wayne enterprises and getting access to the Nuke, which would be in turn used to hold Gotham hostage for five months, leading to multiple executions and economic collapse, not to mention deepening hostilities between the rich and the poor....And all that. Not being content with doing the job she was supposed to do, she also decides to steal Martha Wayne's iconic neck pearlace, and item that is of inmense value to Bruce.

- Threatened Bruce during the masked ball for being teh rich and stole his Murcielago Lamborghini just for fun... (Or because she felt "entitled" to do so?).

- Is depicted as someone who enjoys killing.

- Handed Batman directly to Bane, resulting in Bruce getting his back broken and being put into the Pit for five months.

- Basically declares that once she has helped clear the way for people to escape, she is stealing the Batpod because why not? She also refuses to stay and help Batman clear the mess she enabled by helping Bane and Tatelia, wheter she knew what they were going to do or not. At least she does go back and help Bats in the final battle, saving his life, too.

So....Yeah. I understand Bruce may be attracted to her at first, but I just don't see how he can actually trust her that much after the events of the movie. He doesn't have to hold her responsible for a lot of the things that she had a hand in, but to go and live up Alfred's fantasy of a potential "wife" with Catwoman is something I just cannot buy.

I am so glad....that someone feels the exact way I do about the handling of Bruce/Selina in this movie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Am The Knight

Regarding Selina...I just think she's there at the end to service that Cafe fantasy. I don't think happiness = being with a woman. That's a bit of a superficial way of looking at happiness. Yes, obviously love is great, but look at Gordon. His wife dumps him and takes the kids. He's still just happy that his friend survived at the end. All he gets at the end is the satisfaction that he helped saved the city. Granted, the entire trilogy tells us that for Bruce being with Rachel/a woman = happiness. I just wish he had ended up with some random woman. It didn't need to be Selina. But I would've preferred a Bruce Wayne who stays, follows in his father's footsteps and helps Gotham to get back on it's feet, happy that he set the wheels of change in motion as the Batman, and making sure that the city has a potential future protector in the form of Blake, who could use a father figure.

I'm starting to think you can read my mind. I think a lot of people loved Bruce/Selina in the movie because they just love the idea of Bruce/Selina being together, much in the same way a lot of die hard Superman fans love that, IMO, mediocre romance between Clark and Lois in MOS, solely for the fact that it was Clark/Lois. I think you're absolutely right that Selina was merely shoehorned into Italy, and I definitely agree that it would've been better if Bruce was just with some random woman at the cafe. The point would've still been made.

__________________"There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us... you blinked."